Author's Note: I totally had this story planned out and then I added new stuff that I hadn't previously written in this chapter. I kinda love when that happens, but I also worry it won't flow with the story. Fingers crossed!

Thanks to UmiNight Angel Neko, Guest, and crawforddarius7 for the reviews! I appreciate you guys, and don't worry, the relationships between the characters are just beginning to develop. They'll get way more interesting (hopefully).

Chapter 12

Light smirked as he made his way to the hotel, still unable to believe his luck. All this time he had been so preoccupied with trying to a find a way into the Kira investigation, yet here L was, handing it to him on a silver platter. He held up his hand to block out the afternoon sun from his eyes as he watched the traffic lights change.

"Nice place." Ryuk mumbled as they entered the lobby of the hotel. Light scoffed at the idea. Nice compared to what? The dump that he and the other gods of death called home? Light was sure anything would be a step up from that. Light noticed Watari out of the corner of his eye and made his way over to him.

"Hi, I'm here to—"

"Come with me." the old man replied quickly, cutting him off in mid-sentence. Light frowned. L's entire operation was inflated with his ego. L might have been able to solve previous cases, but he had never squared off against someone like Light. He had never faced a true challenge. They turned into the large suite and Watari promptly closed the door behind Light as he entered. He checked around the room of police officers, and L approached him with a soft shuffle.

"Thank you, Light." L held out his hand, and though it internally disgusted Light, he put on a smile and shook it.

"Not at all!" Light replied cheerily. "After all, I want to catch Kira just as much as you do, Ryuga." Light wasn't sure, but he thought he saw a hint of skepticism in L's eyes.

"I'll have to ask that you call me Ryuzaki here." the shaggy haired detective corrected.

"Yea, we all have aliases!" Matsuda explained excitedly, clearly a bit too happy with the need for an alias. "I'm Matsui!"

"I'm Aihara." another member of the NPA replied. Light observed him for a moment. He wasn't as familiar with this detective as the others under his father's command. Aizawa, maybe? He hardly seemed suitable for the job with his out of control hair and brash demeanor. Then again, one could make the same argument about L, and he had clearly proven himself.

"And I'm Asahi." Soichiro finally said. Light smiled.

"I see…so I guess I should call myself Light Asahi?" he asked.

"Yes, please do." L mumbled. "But to keep things simple from this point on, I'll call you Light." Hardly an alias. "Okay, let's get down to work." L was suddenly so assertive as he shuffled over to a pile of records and paperwork. "You can start by looking over all of the information we've collected. I'd also like you to examine some videos. They were sent to the TV station, but were never aired." Light followed the man and took a seat in front of the large TV. "For security reasons, you're not permitted to take notes and all materials must remain here."

"I understand." Light replied complacently. He didn't need notes. He would find this imposter Kira before anyone else.

"Let's begin." L clicked on the TV and that disgusting Kira overlay came on. Light flinched and leaned forward to hide the contempt that may have been clear on his face. This video is so mediocre. It's making me sick to my stomach. I don't know…maybe it's because I'm the real one, but this is a complete disgrace to everything that Kira stands for. Light glanced around for a moment. Something was off. No one had bothered to explain the context of this video to him. Was this another one of L's tests? In any case, I'd be stupid to comment on it. If I just leave it alone, L dies. "So, what do you make of this, Light? Have you come to any conclusions?" L asked, leaning over his shoulder and biting around the nail of his index finger. L's awkward quirks and habits were just as repulsive to Light as the video. Damn! It is a test!

"It's hard to say for sure," Light started as he stood up, "but there might be another person out there with Kira's power."

"With Kira's power?!" his father suddenly exclaimed. "What do you mean by that, Light?" It was so over the top. His instinct had been correct from the very beginning. This was L's test and Light wasn't going to fall into any of his traps.

"At the very least, I'd say this tape was not created by the Kira that we're familiar with." Light replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "This behavior pattern and victim pattern is extremely out of character." Light mimicked Eva's words. He had to hand it to her, she was quick on her feet. If she recognized the difference in behavior, there was no use denying it with L. "And since we've established Kira needs a name and a face to kill, it makes you wonder how he was able to kill that detective and those officers that showed up outside of the police station."

"Wow…it's the same." Aizawa whispered.

"That's almost exactly how L—I mean, Ryuzaki explained it." Matsuda agreed.

"I think you're exactly right about that." L said. "I also believed this was the work of a second Kira. I figured it might take some convincing for the other taskforce members, but it should be helpful to have a third affirmative opinion."

"Third?" Light asked, quickly doing the math in his head. "Who's the third?"

"You are." L replied.

"And the second?" Light narrowed his eyes on L. A knock on the hotel door interrupted the conversation.

"How serendipitous." L mumbled under his breath. "That should be her. Come in." Light turned his eyes to the door. He saw her, and then saw red.

"You got Eva involved in the investigation?!" Light yelled at L. Though it was brief, Light was sure he saw a smirk on L's face.

"Light!" Eva tried to calm him down, but immediately took a seat on the couch and began to try and catch her breath. Light rushed over to her.

"Are you okay? Did you walk here by yourself?" he asked her softly, trying to keep their moment as private as he could. Though, the hovering crowd wasn't making it easy.

"Yea…I'm just—" she swallowed the lump forming in her throat and took a few more deep breaths. "—just a little out of breath." Light frowned and turned back to L.

"Do you really have that little regard for other people? You're putting her health at serious risk—not to mention her life!" he chastised the discomposed-looking detective.

"Light!" Eva grabbed his hand and stood. He could see her legs visibly shaking underneath her. "It was my decision. I reached out to Ryuzaki and asked to be a part of the investigation." Light shook his head at her. What was she doing? Why did she always have to be so damn difficult? Then another unsettling thought took over him.

"I thought only the agent outside could contact you directly." Light asked L in a very accusatory tone.

"Well, Ryuzaki's legal council is Eva's mother." Soichiro chimed in to explain.

"Actually…." Eva spoke up. Light turned his gaze back to her. "I exchanged numbers with Ryuzaki when we went out for coffee." Light's hand tightened into a fist, and he suddenly noticed the pair of eyes that had never left him. L was watching him closely, with his index finger still pushed firmly against his upper lip and the faint ghost of a smirk still present at the corners of his mouth. He suddenly understood then: Eva was a means to the end. L didn't want her help on this investigation, he didn't need it. She was just thrown into the mix as a way to test him—to catch him off guard. It was a cheap trick, one that Light would definitely make him pay for. Hunting Kira was one thing, but knowingly putting Eva's health and safety at risk? That Light couldn't forgive.

"It's decided then." L said, shoving both hands into the pockets of his jeans. "First, we must focus our efforts on stopping this copycat Kira. From what we've seen, he sympathizes with the real Kira, but clearly lacks his sophistication. I think he might even be willing to obey the original. If so, we could lure him into a trap by sending our own message from the real Kira."

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised." Light replied, somewhat begrudgingly. "You literally took the words right out of my mouth." The statement earned him an odd look from Eva, and he knew exactly what it was about. He shouldn't have been so dismissive of her the other night. It didn't look good for him now. If she said something about it, it would only raise suspicion from L. Luckily, he knew her pretty well, and Eva didn't like to raise a big fuss about anything. Most of the world's problems left her untouched with concern. It was like water off a duck's back. He envied her ability to embrace undying optimism.

"Light, I would like you to play the part of the real Kira." L continued. The sudden shift caught Light off guard, eliciting a small gasp from him. He played along with it.

"Me? As Kira?" he asked innocently.

"Yes, you're the only one I can think of who'd be able to pull something like this off." L's lies were seeping out of his teeth. Light glanced around at the surrounding detectives and Eva. This was just political theatre. They both knew the truth. "At any rate, we don't have time to waste. Do you think you could script a message from Kira in time for it to be aired on this evening's national news?" Ryuk laughed behind Light. Damn him…he must have been planning this from the beginning. It's the only reason I'm here. The stunt with Eva, having me script Kira…he's just trying to corner me.

"Sure." Light replied with a fake smile. "Anything I can do to help."

Light scratched out a few words on the page and substituted them for more appropriate language. He leaned back, examining the message again with furrowed brows and a frown. That's as good as it's going to get.

"Ryuzaki, does this look okay? I think I managed to make it believable." Light said, beckoning the scruffy haired detective over to him. L walked over and picked up the piece of paper carefully from the edges. He held out in front of him by the top corners and read. What a strange man.

"I think you've done an excellent job with this." L finally replied. "However, if we don't omit the part that says 'you're free to kill L,' then I'm gonna end up dead." Light laughed, genuinely for once. Eva peeked over L's arm to read the piece of paper and gave Light a small glare.

"Light! I can't believe you'd write that!" she chided.

"Sorry!" Light said through his laughter. "I guess I got carried away playing the part. I figured if I were him, I'd probably demand that you be killed." He locked his hands behind his head and leaned back in the couch seat. "I was improvising. Feel free to change it to whatever you like."

"Sounds good…." L replied, drawing a line through the most objectionable statement. Light turned his eyes to Eva, observing her as she began to help with the development of the tape. Her work ethic was impeccable, and perhaps Light would have stopped to admire it if he hadn't begun to feel a layer of betrayal settle on him. Eva was working so hard to contribute everything that she could to this investigation. She was hell bent on playing her part to catch Kira. I would never hate you…no matter what. Light wanted to believe those words more than anything else. He wanted to believe that if she found out right this second that he was Kira, she would follow him into the abyss. Why was he beginning to doubt her all of the sudden? He never had reason to before.

When the broadcast aired without a hitch, Light stood and moved to Eva amidst the conversation regarding next steps.

"Ready to go home?" he whispered to her, rubbing her back with his hand. She stared off into the distance for a while, as if something were troubling her.

"Yea." she finally replied, grabbing a hold of his arm. Light sighed with relief. It felt like a heavy burden had been lifted off his shoulders when Eva was back in his arms, back where he could keep her safe.

"Dad, I'm going to take Eva home." Light called out to his father. Soichiro nodded in return, continuing his conversation with the rest of the taskforce. They turned to face the door, and L stepped out in front of them.

"Eva, Light…thank you both for coming." he mumbled, scratching the back of his head as if he weren't used to showing such overt appreciation.

"Sure, anytime." Light replied.

"We're happy to be here!" Eva added with a cheery smile. L exchanged a look with her that left Light feeling uneasy. His smile was a bit too comfortable. His stare lasted a bit too long. It made Light feel invisible, as if he were Eva's god of death, hovering over her shoulder, vying for her attention. It felt awful.

Eva stared at the alley between the approaching houses. There was no way she had the strength to get back up those walls. She barely managed to make it down. Besides, what if Light saw her sneaking back up to her room and decided to tell her parents that she was out investigating with him and L? It would be a disaster—an unmitigated disaster.

"Light?" she called softly, tightening her grip on his arm a bit more. She held it like a child holding their favorite blanket for comfort.

"Hm?" he replied.

"Can I sleep with you tonight?" There was a pregnant pause between them.

"Yea…of course." he said, as if he were surprised that she even felt the need to ask.

"Thanks..." she whispered, leaning her face more into his arm. They quietly made their way into his house and up to his room. Even after removing their shoes, the wooden floorboards of the stairs creaked in disapproval of their secretive antics, as if it were trying to reveal their late night activities. Everything sounded louder when it was supposed to be a secret. The click of his door, the flick of the light switch, the hum of the lights. Were they always that bright? Eva carefully opened Light's closet and slid open the top drawer of the dresser inside. She pulled out the first long sleeve shirt she could find and stripped down to change into it. If it were anyone else, Eva would have been concerned about being watched, but when she turned, she noticed Light's back to her as he finished changing into his pajamas. She slid in between the sheets of his bed, and when he got in, she opted to immediately push herself up against him, laying her head on his chest and letting him wrap his arms around her.

"Is everything okay?" Light whispered into the darkness.

"When did you change your mind about there being a second Kira?" she asked him, ignoring his question. After a brief pause, he opted to respond in much the same manner: by ignoring her question.

"Why didn't you bring it up in front of the taskforce?"

"Because that would have just cast more doubt on you. They already think you're Kira." Eva replied almost instantly. Tears began to well up in her eyes and she clutched his shirt tightly, as if she were hanging onto the last bit of her restraint rather than her best friend. "Do you remember my second week of school? When you saved me from that bully?" she asked with a shaky voice.

"Yea." Light replied, replaying the moment in his head.

"Do you remember the day you saved my life?" That memory was a bit less clear. He shook his head at first, but remembered that she couldn't see him in the darkness.

"No." he replied.

"Do you remember the first time you snuck into my room?"

"Yea, you were really upset that day. You got into a huge fight with your dad, right?" He could feel her nod. He could feel his shirt dampen from her tears.

"I wasn't just upset about the fight." Eva admitted. "For as long as I can remember, we've been moving around for my dad's job. For as long as I can remember, I've felt alone and unimportant." She quickly corrected herself. "I know my parents love me. I know they do. It's just that…they were always so busy. I never really got to know them until a year or two after we moved to Japan. But even then, I felt so much pressure to be as smart as they are. …it just all got to be too much that day."

"It happens to everyone." Light assured, rubbing her back.

"I was going to kill myself." His heart sank at the words. "I was ready to do it. I had the pills and the alcohol. I was just going to go to sleep and not wake up…just like I wanted to for so many years—for as long as I can remember." He felt her head shift up. Her lips grazed his chin and her fingers gently touched his cheek. "But you kept knocking on the window until I opened it, and you came over, and you sat with me until I fell asleep in your arms, and do you remember what you told me?"

"Things will look better when you wake up." Light barely managed to choke out. His voice cracked and he felt Eva nod and let out a weak laugh.

"Yea. And they were. When I woke up, I had a friend who really cared about me, even at his own expense." She propped herself up on her elbow, and Light could barely make out the outline of her face and the glow of her eyes through the darkness as she hovered above him. She kept her fingers on his face, tracing the outline of his jaw. "That's how I know you're not Kira." The words felt like a physical blow to Light's chest. He arched his back slightly from the pain and let out a labored breath. He could feel the tears falling from her eyes. They landed on his cheeks and began to travel down his neck. "Because you're the kind of person who stays awake all night so that someone you care about can sleep easy. Even if I know you share some of the same ideals as Kira…I know you can't be Kira. You're not a monster. You're not evil. You're Light." Light pulled her down into his chest, holding her tight. He wasn't sure how to respond to her confession or her assessment, so he did what he had done for so many nights when she cried: he held her.

Light's eyes fluttered open to grey, cloudy skies. He groaned and sat up, unable to bear the pain in his lower back.

"You're finally awake!" a voice called out to him. He stood, dusting off his pants. Not that it did much good. The ground he had been laying on had at least one inch of fine dust covering it. It was like a desert was beginning to form. He turned his attention to the voice and smiled at her.

"Eva."

"C'mon! Come explore with me!" Eva said, tugging at his hand. Light looked around at their desolate, barren surroundings. There were no buildings, no signs, no…anything.

"It doesn't look like there's much here to explore." he confessed. What was this place?

"There's lots of stuff! C'mon! I'll show you!" Eva pulled him a few feet and he followed her to some type of a bone structure. Light wasn't sure what could leave behind a skeleton like that, but amidst the remaining ribcage sat a rose bush. "Look! Blue roses!" Eva let go of his hand and ran over to them. She picked one rose and held it to her nose, taking in its scent with a deep breath. "They're so pretty, and they smell so good! I wish we had these back home."

"Yea, I can smell it from here." Light admitted, taking in the sweet scent. It was like coconut and vanilla. How strange. He checked their surroundings again and frowned. "This place is kind of creepy."

"Huh?" Eva asked, looking up at him from her kneeling position by the blue roses. "What do you mean? This was your idea, Light!"

"My idea?" he asked.

"Yea! At any rate, there's no turning back now." She let out a small giggle and held out her hand for him to take. "C'mon! I've been waiting so long to explore this place with you!"

Light's eyes snapped open and he inhaled sharply. He looked over at his cellphone. The ceaseless buzzing had pulled him from his dream—from his very odd, vivid dream. Light pulled himself away from Eva's embrace and turned enough to grab his cellphone. He flipped it open and noticed the multitude of missed calls and text messages.

"Shit." he grumbled. This can't be good.